Calculating machine



Aug. 11, 1953 K. JORDAN ET AL CALCULATING MACHINE Filed Sept. 14, 1949 Patented Aug. 11, 195 3 CALCULATING MACHINE Kurt Jordan and Hans Neumann-Lezius, Brunswick, Germany, assignors to Brunsviga Maschinenwerke Aktiengesellschaft,

Germany Brunswick,

Application September 14, 1949, Serial No. 115,621 In Germany October 1, 1948 4 Claims. (Cl. 235-79) The present invention concerns improvements in or relating to calculating machines.

In Patent No. 2,042,986, June 2, 1936, to Haase, there is disclosed a machine in which the differential actuating mechanism includes a shaft and a pair of vari-toothed discs that rotate with the shaft and are axially adjustable thereon. It is an object of the present invention to provide means for maintaining such discs accurately in planes parallel to each other by simple means that can be made at small cost and without difiiculty, and which do not involve increase in the size of the machine.

In the patent above referred to the discs in question are guided along the shaft by wedgeshaped key ways that are expensive to make and relatively inefficient as guiding means because of the short portion that engages a disc, due to the close spacing of the discs. They are, therefore,

liable to get out of order, especially as they become worn with use, and it is another object to do away with loose play of the discs.

The invention consists in that on each operating disc a pin is provided which passes freely parallel to the associated shaft through clearance holes in the adjacent disc or discs and finds a support in another more remote disc or in another part of the calculating machine which shares the rotary motion of the operating disc in question.

In order that the invention may be properly understood two embodiments are shown in the accompanying drawing in which the same reference numerals are used for all corresponding parts. In these drawings:

Fig. 1 is a front view of a part of the machine showing two denominational orders of the register and differential actuating mechanism therefor,

Fig. 2 is a side view of the arrangement shown in Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is a portion of Fig. 1 showing a different arrangement of the springs 8,

Fig. 4 is a front view of a part of the transfer mechanism.

In the embodiment of the machine shown in Figs. 1 and 2, reference character I indicates a shaft which is driven by means of a crank or an electric motor through the agency of intermediate gearing. The shaft I carries actuator discs 2 which are each provided with four teeth 3, 4, 5, B of different lengths and also actuator discs '1 which each carry five teeth all of similar construction (the tens transfer mechanism is not shown).

For each denominational order of the calculating machine two actuator discs 2 and I are provided. Between each pair of these actuator discs 2 and I are located coil springs 8 mounted on the shaft I. These coil springs are compressed when the actuator discs 2, I are pressed together and they cause the actuator discs to be separated again when the pressure is released. When the shaft is turned the actuator discs 2 and I of each pair act successively on an intermediate wheel 9 which is rotatable but not axially movable on a shaft ID said wheel forming part of an accumulator. This shaft I is built into a shiftable carriage in the machine. The intermediate wheels 9 are retained in their position on the shaft Hi by means of collars II which are secured to the shaft. A pawl I2 pressed by a spring I3 operates on the teeth of each intermediate wheel 9 and all the pawls I2 are pivoted on a rod I 4. By means of these pawls the step-by-step rotation of the intermediate wheels 9 and the number discs I5 which are driven by the wheels 9 is ensured. Each wheel 9 meshes with a gear I6 which is rigidly secured to a number disc I5. The number discs I5 are rotatable but not axially movable on shaft I! which is secured to the side walls of the shiftable carriage. The wheels I5 are secured in their exact position by collars I8.

On opposite sides of the actuator discs 2 and i of each denominational order, bars I9 and are mounted so as to rock about pivots H, 22 which are mounted in the walls of the machine casing. The rear ends of these bars [9, 20, are provided with upwardly projecting arms 23, 24 which co-operate with the exterior faces of the operating discs 2 and I. The inner faces of the bars is and 26 carry at their front ends wedgeshaped noses which co-operate with the teeth of the setting discs. These teeth can be bent out of the material of the setting discs or can be fastened thereto as described and shown in United States Patent No. 2,042,986.

On disc 2 of the units denominational order a in is riveted and extends parallel to the .shaft I through clearance holes 25, 21 in the two neighboring discs I of the units order and 2 of the tens order and engages in a hole 28 in the third successive disc i (tens denominational order) in which it is loosely guided. To the disc 'i of the units denominational order but displaced with respect to the pin 25, Fig. 2, there is riveted a pin 29 which similarly extends parallel to the shaft I through clearance holes 3%, 3i of the neighboring discs 2 (tens denominational order) and I (tens denominational order) and accordance with the setting of a particular-value by the operation of the barsclSs-and-ZD (sea/Fig,

3). Moreover, the extreme-position ofthe discs- 2, "i can be limited by stop pins :33 which-project.

from transverse holes in the shaft 1.

In the calculating machine of United Statesv Patent No. 2,042,986 tens transfer devicesarepro-. vided which are numbered l2 and H9 in said patent. For these transfer discs also the same guide pin arrangement can be provided, as illustrated in i.-

tran'sfer discs '52, lithat are slidable on the shaft and rotatable'therewith, said transfer discs bein sh'if ted by engagement therewith of a transfer tooth it on an adjacent numeral wheel transfer disc has two tens transfer teeth li, as explained below.

Each transfer. disc has-an eccentrically mounted guide pin list! fixed thereto and extending parallel to shaft 33, the free end of the pin being guidedin a bearing aperture in a disc remote from the disc to which it is fixed, and passing loosely through clearance holes in one or more interinediate'tens transfer discs. Spring pressed detents for the pins Eilcomprise balls illadapted to engage in grooves at ii-ii and it in the pins for holding a pin and its transfer disc either in normal or operating position. Means for resetting the tens transfer disks individually comprises resetting projections ill on discs 42 for engagement by cam faces 52 on a cam operable as explained "below.

When a-numeral wheeldfl of the accumulator,

Fig. 4, is to be lIlOVEEd'fI'OIIl 9 to 0, the tens trans-- by the spring id moves out of the groove'dii into the neighboring groove iii and thus brings the tens transfer tooth it? into such a position that it engages the transfer wheel d8 of the next highest digit value in order to eifect tens transfer. The transfer discs 32 eachcarry two tens transfer teeth s'i which are arranged to form two helices of opposite pitch in order that they shall be able to effect the tens transfer operation at the right time in both directions of rotation of the counting mechanism. To each tens transfer disc i2 eccentrically located guide pin 58 is riveted and after passing through a clearance hole in the next tens transfer disc d2 it fits at its other end in the holeof the succeeding disc 42. These pins which according to the digit positionconcerned may also engage either in the transfer discs of the lower digit positions or at the end of the train in other rotating parts of the tens transfer mechanism include grooves 25, in'which the above-described spring-pressed detents i l, is engage and serve to establish the effective and normal positions of the transfer discs' iii. This has the advantage that the force necessary for overcoming the resistance ofthe lockingdevices and for moving the guide pins and In thisfigure ashaft 43 that is angular in cross section carries a scriesof tens connected parts can be kept as small as possible.

The considerable length of the guiding arrangements which is achieved according to the invention makes it possible for the point of application of the force for eifecting the axial movement of the. transfer discs to lie-eccentric and therefore one-sided; which also means that their. restoration to the normal position can be effected by the provision of re-setting projections 5! on the transfer discs 52 which projections are adapted to -be e-ngaged by correspondingly-shaped teeth .fiiirof-.-a.cam.;53' thatanay be either fixed or movable so. that-therestoration of the transfer discs time longeraneedswto be effected simultaneously in all digittpla'cesiby means of a cam rotating with the shaft and forming a part thereof, which is costlyto..-manufacture. On the contrary, restoration of the oscillating transfer discs 42 can be=eficted successively and hence quietly and without impulsive reactions on the drive.

Having-thus particularly described and-ascertained the nature of; our said'inven-tion and-.- in

what manner the same is-to be performedwe declare that .what we claim :is:

1; In a-calculating machine, a shaft; a series" of inumeral wheels on the shaft, .a second shaft.

parallel to the =-first-named shait,,disks on the second shaft includinga pairof actuator disks for each numeral wheel, .said'actuator disks being rotatable with the shaft-andmovablc axially thereof, indexing means for. adjustingthe disks of each pairtowa-rd each other for'engagement with the corresponding numeral wheel, means biasingthe disks away from each other, :a pin fixedion each disk, said pinextending parallel to the shaft through a .cleara-nce'hole-in an adjacent disk and .beingguided at its free endby a hole in another disk more remote from thedisk to which the pin is fixed, and the pins of successive disks being arranged in echelon.

2. In a calculating machine, a non-circular drive shaft, a series of tens transfer disks each havinganzaperture fitting on saidshaft and;being. slidablev along the shaft, an eccentric pin projecting from each diskparallel to said'shaft, said pin having its free end guided in a member rotating with the shaft and passing through clearance holes-in one or more disks intermediate between'its supporting disk and said member, number wheels, a tooth on a number wheel acting eccentrically on-a transfer disk to-move it into position to engagea number wheel of the next higher order of values, tens transfer teeth onthe transfer disks arrangedin helices of opposite pitch, resetting projections on the "transfer disks, and cams individually engageable with said resetting projections for returning the trans"- ferdisk's to normal position.

3. A calculating machine having an accumulator, a drive shaft angular in cross section, a series .of. toothed disks slidable on said shaft for operating said accumulator and means engaging the disks eccentrically for slidably adjusting them along said shaft; each disk having a central aperture fitting about the .drive shaft, a bearing aper:ture,a plurality of clearance holes, and an eccentric pin projecting from one face parallel to the shaft; each pin having its free end guided in said aperture. of. a remote disk and. passing through the clearance holes of intermediate disks, the pinsof successive disks being arranged inechelcn.

l4; The structure of:.claimx3,- including an end member :rotatable with said shaft. and provided with a bearing aperture for receiving the eccentric pin of one of said disks.

KURT JORDAN.

HANS NEUMANN-LEZIUS.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number 10 Number Name Date Walter Dec. 7, 1937 Rudin Feb. 15, 1938 Perrine Mar. 28, 1939 Perrine Aug. 8, 1939 Johnson Oct. 21, 1941 Friden Feb. 24, 1942 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date France Mar. 29, 1943 

